Crimped Filament-Containing Woven or Knitted Fabric Manifesting Roughness Upon Wetting with Water, Process for Producing the Same and Textile Products Made Therefrom

ABSTRACT

A woven or knitted fabric, having a roughness which is manifested when wetted with water and disappears when dried, comprises crimped filaments A whose percentage of crimp decrease when wetted with water, and filaments B composed of non-crimped filaments and/or crimped filaments which undergo substantially no change in percentage of crimp when wetted with water, wherein the change of the roughness is 5% or more, determined in accordance with the following equation: Change in Roughness (%)=((TW−TD)/TD)×100 in which TD: a thickness upon drying and TW: a thickness upon wetting with water, of the woven or knitted fabric.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a crimped filament-containing woven orknitted fabric which manifests roughness upon wetting with water, to aprocess for producing the same, and to textile products preparedtherefrom. More particularly, the present invention relates to a wovenor knitted fabric which comprises crimped filaments the percentage ofcrimp of which decreases upon wetting with water and filaments otherthan the crimped filaments, and has a performance such that the surfaceof the woven or knitted fabric manifests a roughness upon wetting withwater and the roughness decreases or disappears upon drying, wherebyclothes produced from the woven or knitted fabric do not cling or hardlycling to the skin even when wetted by perspiration, as well as to aprocess for producing the same and to textile products preparedtherefrom.

BACKGROUND ART

When sportswear or underwear produced from woven or knitted fabricscomprising conventional fibers or natural fibers is worn, there is aknown problem such that when the wearer sweats, the conventional fabricsare unpleasantly close and sticky on the skin due to the sweat.

Against vaporized sweat generated in the initial stage of perspiration,it has become common to employ clothes produced from fibers with highhygroscopicity as the constituent materials of clothes, or clothesformed from woven or knitted fabrics having a loose structure and a lowdensity in order to increase the air permeability.

On the other hand, for liquid sweat generated during the middle andlater stages of perspiration, there have been proposed multi-plystructured woven or knitted fabrics having a difference in densitybetween the outside ply and inside ply (skin side) of the woven orknitted fabrics to allow sweat absorbed in the skin side ply to rapidlymigrate to the outside ply (for example, see Patent Reference 1), and touse clothes formed from woven or knitted fabrics having a roughnessformed on the skin side surface of woven or knitted fabrics to decreasethe contact area between the skin and clothes and to decrease the degreeof stickiness (for example, see Patent documents 2 and 3). However, inthe former case, perspiration exceeding the saturated moistureabsorption of the clothes results in residue of sweat on the skin side,causing the clothes to stick to the skin. In the latter case, where thesurface roughness of the clothes is insufficient, perspiration in alarge amount causes the clothes to stick to skin, and when the extent ofroughness is increased in order to avoid the sticking, the air contentof the woven or knitted fabric increases resulting in higher heatretention and thereby aiding perspiration, while the convexities of theroughness also rub against the skin producing an uncomfortable pricklingfeel, and are also abraded on the skin tending to create pilings.

It has therefore been desired to develop woven and knitted fabrics whichcan reduce such stickiness by reversibly manifesting roughness on thewoven or knitted fabric surface when wetted with water.

Patent document 1: Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 9-316757

Patent document 2: Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 10-131000

Patent document 3: Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 9-324313

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

An object of the present invention is to provide a woven or knittedfabric which manifests roughness on the surface when wetted with waterin such a manner that the roughness is reduced or disappears upondrying, as well as a process for producing it and textile productsobtained therefrom which do not become uncomfortable upon wetting bysweat produced by perspiration.

This object is achieved by the crimped filament-containing woven orknitted fabric of the present invention, the process for producing itand textile products therefrom.

The crimped filament-containing woven or knitted fabric of the presentinvention which manifests roughness upon wetting with water, andcomprises yarns comprising crimped filaments A the percentage of crimpof which decreases upon wetting with water, and yarns comprisingfilaments B comprising at least one type of filaments selected fromnon-crimped filaments and crimped filaments which undergo substantiallyno change in percentage of crimp upon wetting with water,

is characterized in that the change in roughness calculated by theequation:Change in Roughness (%)=((TW−TD)/TD)×100wherein TD represents a thickness of the woven or knitted fabricmeasured after standing it in an environment having a temperature of 20°C. and a humidity of 65% RH for 24 hours and TW represents a largestthickness of the water-wetted portion of the woven or knitted fabricmeasured one minute after 1 ml of water has been dropped onto the wovenor knitted fabric, is 5% or greater.

In the crimped filament-containing woven or knitted fabric of thepresent invention which manifests roughness upon wetting with water, thecrimped filaments A are preferably selected from crimped conjugatefilaments comprising a polyester resin component and a polyamide resincomponent which components are different from one another in terms ofwater-absorption and self-elongation properties, and bonded to oneanother in a side-by-side structure, the conjugate filaments havingcrimps formed by revealing the latent crimpability of the conjugatefilaments.

In the crimped filament-containing woven or knitted fabric of thepresent invention which manifests roughness upon wetting with water, thepolyester resin component preferably comprises a modified polyethyleneterephthalate resin comprising 5-sodiumsolfoisophthalic acidcopolymerized in an amount of 2.0-4.5 molar percent based on the contentof the acid component of the resin.

In the crimped filament-containing woven or knitted fabric of thepresent invention which manifests roughness upon wetting with water, theyarn comprising the crimped filaments A is preferably twisted at thenumber of twist of 0-300 T/m.

In the crimped filament-containing woven or knitted fabric of thepresent invention which manifests roughness upon wetting with water, thefilaments B preferably comprises a polyester resin.

In the crimped filament-containing woven or knitted fabric of thepresent invention which manifests roughness upon wetting with water, thefabric preferably at least one portion Y composed entirely of thecrimped filaments A and at least one portion Z composed entirely of thefilaments B, the Z portion being formed continuously in either or boththe warp and weft directions or in either or both the course and waledirections of the woven or knitted fabric.

The crimped filament-containing woven or knitted fabric of the presentinvention which manifests roughness upon wetting with water may compriseat least one portion Z composed entirely of the filaments B and at leastone portion X composed of the filaments A and the filaments B, the Zportion being formed continuously in either or both the warp and weftdirections or in either or both the course and wale directions of thewoven or knitted fabric.

The crimped filament-containing woven or knitted fabric of the presentinvention which manifests roughness upon wetting with water may compriseat least one portion X composed of the crimped filaments A and thefilaments B and at least one portion Y composed entirely of the crimpedfilaments A, the X portion being formed continuously in either or boththe warp and weft directions or in either or both the course and waledirections of the woven or knitted fabric.

The crimped filament-containing woven or knitted fabric of the presentinvention which manifests roughness upon wetting with water, maycomprise at least one portion X composed of the crimped filaments A andthe filaments B, at least one portion Y composed entirely of the crimpedfilaments A and at least one portion Z composed entirely of the filamentB, the Z portion being formed continuously in either or both the warpand weft directions or in either or both the course and wale directionsof the woven or knitted fabric.

The crimped filament-containing woven or knitted fabric of the presentinvention which manifests roughness upon wetting with water may have amulti-ply weave or knit structure with two or more plies, at least oneply of the multi-ply structure being composed of the crimped filaments Aand the filaments B, while at least one other ply being composedentirely of the filaments B, and the ply containing the filaments A andB and the other ply containing the filaments B being partially boundwith each other.

The crimped filament-containing woven or knitted fabric of the presentinvention which manifests roughness upon wetting with water may have amulti-ply weave or knit structure with two or more plies, at least oneply of the multi-ply structure being composed of the crimped filaments Aand filaments B, while at least one other ply being composed entirely ofthe crimped filaments A and B and the other ply containing the crimpedfilaments A being partially bound with each other.

The crimped filament-containing woven or knitted fabric of the presentinvention which manifests roughness upon wetting with water may have amulti-ply weave or knit structure with two or more plies, at least oneply of the multi-ply structure being composed entirely of the crimpedfilaments A, while at least one other ply being composed entirely of thecrimped filaments B, and the crimped filaments A-containing ply and thefilaments B-containing ply being partially bound with each other.

The process of the present invention for production of a crimpedfilament-containing woven or knitted fabric according to any one ofclaims 1 to 12 which manifests roughness upon wetting with water, ischaracterized by comprising a step of producing a precursor woven orknitted fabric from precursor filaments from which crimped filaments Awhich reveals crimps when a heat treatment is applied thereto, and theresultant crimps having a property such that the percentage of crimpdecreases when wetted with water, and precursory filaments from which atleast one type of filaments B selected from filaments which do notreveal crimps even when a heat treatment is applied thereto, andfilaments which reveal crimps when a heat treatment is applied theretobut the percentage of crimp of the crimps essentially not decreasingwhen wetted with water, and a step of applying a heat treatment to theprecursory woven or knitted fabric to produce a woven or knitted fabriccomprising the crimped filaments A and the filaments B.

In the process of the present invention for production of a crimpedfilament-containing woven or knitted fabric, the precursory filamentsfrom which the crimped filaments A are preferably formed fromnon-crimped conjugate filaments comprising a polyester resin componentand a polyamide resin component which components differ inwater-absorption and self-elongation from each other and are bonded in aside-by-side structure.

The process of the present invention for production of a crimpedfilament-containing woven or knitted fabric the polyester resincomponent in the non-crimped conjugate filaments preferably comprises apolyester resin having an intrinsic viscosity of 0.30-0.43, and thepolyamide resin component preferably comprise a polyamide resin havingan intrinsic viscosity of 1.0-1.4.

The process of the present invention for production of a crimpedfilament-containing woven or knitted fabric, the non-crimped conjugatefilaments preferably satisfy, after crimping treatment in boiling waterwas applied thereto, the following requirements:

(1) a dry percentage of crimp DC after standing in an environment havinga temperature of 20° C. and a humidity of 65% RH for 24 hours, is in therange of 1.5 to 13%;

(2) a percentage of crimp HC immediately after an immersion in water ata temperature of 20° C. for 2 hours, is in the range of 0.5 to 7.0%; and

(3) a difference between the dry percentage of crimp DC and wetpercentage of crimp HC (DC-HC) is 0.5% or greater.

The textile product of the present invention includes the crimpedfilament-containing woven or knitted fabric of the present invention.

The textile product of the present invention is preferably selected fromouterwear, sportswear and underwear clothes.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide crimpedfilament-containing woven or knitted fabrics that manifest roughness onthe surface upon wetting with water wherein the roughness is reduced ordisappears upon drying, from crimped filaments A whose percentage ofcrimp decreases upon wetting with water and filaments B which undergosubstantially no change in percentage of crimp upon wetting with water,as well as a process for producing them and textile products obtainedtherefrom.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an explanatory view showing the cross-sectional profile of anembodiment of the crimped conjugate filament used in a woven or knittedfabric of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory view showing the cross-sectional profile ofanother embodiment of a crimped conjugate filament used in a woven orknitted fabric of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory view showing the cross-sectional profile ofstill another embodiment of a crimped conjugate filament used in a wovenor knitted fabric of the invention.

FIG. 4(A) is an explanatory view showing the cross-sectional profile ofan embodiment of a woven or knitted fabric of the present inventionunder dry condition, and FIG. 4(B) is an explanatory view showing thecross-sectional profile of the woven or knitted fabric underwater-wetted condition.

FIG. 5 is a plane view showing the structure of another embodiment of awoven or knitted fabric of the present invention under dry condition.

FIG. 6(A) is an explanatory view showing the cross-sectional profile ofstill another embodiment of a woven or knitted fabric of the presentinvention under dry condition, and FIG. 6(B) is an explanatory viewshowing the cross-sectional profile of the woven or knitted fabric underwater-wetted condition.

FIG. 7 is a plane view showing the structure of still another embodimentof a woven or knitted fabric of the present invention under drycondition.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

A woven or knitted fabric of the invention comprises crimped filaments Awhose percentage of crimp decreases upon wetting with water, andfilaments B composed of at least one type of filaments selected fromnon-crimped filaments and crimped filaments which undergo substantiallyno change in percentage of crimp upon wetting with water. When a crimpedfilament-containing woven or knitted fabric of the present invention iswetted with water (for example, when wetted by perspiration or fallingrain), only the crimped filaments A exhibit a reduced percentage ofcrimp whereby the apparent lengths of the crimped filaments A increaseto form roughness on the surface of the water-wetted woven or knittedfabric, while drying produces an increase or restoration of thepercentage of crimp of the crimped filaments A whereby the apparentlengths of the filaments are reduced or restored, and the roughness isreduced or disappears. In other words, the woven or knitted fabric ofthe present invention is able to reversibly undergo manifestation ofroughness upon wetting with water and reduction or disappearance of theroughness upon drying.

The change in roughness calculated in accordance with the followingequation from the thickness (TD) when dried and the thickness (TW) whenwetted, of the woven or knitted fabric of the present invention is 5% orgreater and preferably 10-100%.Change in Roughness (%)=((TW−TD)/TD)×100

If the roughness change is less than 5%, manifestation of roughness inthe woven or knitted fabric when wetted will be insufficient, making itimpossible to sufficiently reduce the skin discomfort occurred when thefabric is worn.

The thickness TD when dried is the thickness after the woven or knittedfabric has stood for 24 hours in an environment at a temperature of 20°C. at a humidity of 65% RH, and the thickness TW when wetted is thehighest thickness of a portion of the woven or knitted fabric at whichportion one ml of water has been dropped by using a dropper, one minuteafter the water dropping; these thicknesses TD and TW may be measuredusing, for example, a ultrahigh-precision laser displacement meter(Model LC-2400, product of Keyence).

It is important that in the crimped filament (A), the difference (DC-HC)between the percentage of crimp (DC) when dried and the percentage ofcrimp (HC) when wetted with water of the crimped filaments A is 0.5% ormore, and such crimped filaments (A) are preferably conjugate filamentswhich are composed of two types of resin components, different from oneanother in terms of heat-shrinkage properties, for example, polyesterresin component and a polyamide resin component, incorporated in aside-by-side structure, and have a crimped structure formed byexpression of their latent crimping performance.

Examples of preferred polyester resin components for the side-by-sidetype conjugate filaments include modified polyesters, for example,modified polyethylene terephthalate, polypropylene terephthalate orpolybutylene terephthalate polymers which are copolymerized withcompounds which have a group consisting an alkali or alkaline earthmetal salt or phosphonium salt of sulfonic acid, and one or morefunctional groups with ester-forming property, for higher adhesion withthe polyamide component. Particularly, modified polyethyleneterephthalate copolymers containing the copolymerized aforementionedcompounds, are preferred from the standpoint of common wide utility andlow polymer price. Examples of copolymerization components in this caseinclude 5-sodium sulfoisophthalic acid and its ester derivatives,5-phosphonium isophthalic acid and its ester derivatives, sodiump-hydroxybenzenesulfonate, etc. Among them, 5-sodiumsulfoisophthalicacid is preferably employed. The copolymerization amount of thecopolymerizing component is preferably in the range of 2.0-4.5 molar %with respect to the molar amount of the dicarboxylic acid component inthe polyester resin component. If the copolymerization amount is lessthan 2.0 molar %, a separation may occur at the bonding interfacebetween the polyamide component and polyester component, whereas theresultant conjugate filaments exhibit excellent crimping property.Conversely, if the copolymerization amount is more than 4.5 molarpercent, crystallization of the polyester component will be inhibitedduring drawing and heat treatment, thus a higher draw and heat treatmenttemperature than usual becomes necessary, and this potentially leads tonumerous breaks in the filaments.

There is no particular limitation to the polyamide resin component forthe side-by-side type conjugate filaments, as long as it has an amidebond in the beckborn chain, and the polyamide resin includes, forexample, nylon-4, nylon-6, nylon-66, nylon-46 and nylon-12. Among them,nylon-6 and nylon-66 are particularly preferred from the viewpoint ofcommon wide utility, low polymer price and high stability in filamentproduction.

The polyester resin component and polyamide resin component may alsocontain publicly known additives, for example, pigments, delusteringagents, stain-proofing agents, fluorescent brighteners, flameretardants, stabilizers, antistatic agents, light resisting agents,ultraviolet ray absorbers, etc.

The conjugate filament comprising two resin components different in heatshrinkage properties from each other (for example, polyester resincomponent and polyamide resin component) bonded in a side-by-sidestructure may have any cross-sectional profile and combining form. FIGS.1 to 3 show cross-sectional profiles of side-by-side type conjugatefilaments to be used for the present invention. The conjugate filament 1shown in FIG. 1 has a circular cross-sectional profile wherein thepolyester resin component 2 and the polyamide resin component 3 arebonded in a side-by-side relationship. The conjugate filament shown inFIG. 2 has an oval cross-sectional profile wherein the polyester resincomponent 2 and the polyamide resin component 3 are bonded in aside-by-side relationship. The conjugate filament 1 shown in FIG. 3 alsohas a circular cross-sectional profile, but with the polyamide resincomponent 3 is located inside the polyester resin component 2 in anearly core-in-sheath configuration. A portion of the polyamide resincomponent 3, however, is exposed on the outer periphery of the filament.

The cross-sectional profile of the side-by-side type conjugate filamentmay be, instead of circular or oval, polygonal such as triangular orrectangular, flat or star-shaped or even hollow. Among them, a circularcross-sectional profile shown in FIG. 1 is preferred.

The mass ratio of the polyester resin component to polyamide resincomponent in the side-by-side type conjugate filament used for theinvention is preferably in the range of 30:70 to 70:30 and morepreferably 40:60 to 60:40.

The individual filament thickness of the crimped filaments A used forthe invention is preferably 1 to 10 dtex and more preferably 2 to 5dtex. When the crimped filaments A are used in a yarn or a filamentbundle, the number of individual filaments is preferably 10 to 200 andmore preferably 20-100 per yarn or bundle.

The conjugate filaments having two resin components different in heatshrinkage properties from each other and bonded in a side-by-sidestructure may have any desired cross-sectional profile or combiningform. FIGS. 1 to 3 show magnified cross-sectional views of side-by-sidetype conjugate filaments usable for the present invention. The conjugatefilaments having the cross-sectional profiles shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 areused in most cases, but a nearly eccentric core-in-sheath type such asshown in FIG. 3 may also be used. Alternatively, the profile may betriangular or rectangular, or a hollow may be formed within thecross-section. The circular cross-sectional profile shown in FIG. 1 ispreferred among these profiles, but the oval cross-sectional profile asshown in FIG. 2 is also usable. The mass ratio of both components may beselected as desired, usually the mass ratio between the polyester resincomponent and polyamide resin component is 30:70 to 70:30 and morepreferably 40:60 to 60:40.

There are no particular restrictions to the individual filamentthickness and number of individual filaments (individual filamentnumber) of the crimped filaments A. Preferably, the individual filamentthickness is 1 to 10 dtex (more preferably 2 to 5 dtex) and the numberof individual filaments is in the range of 10 to 200 (more preferably 20to 100), per yarn.

The conjugate filaments composed of different resin components bonded toeach other as described above usually have a latent crimping property,and therefore express latent crimping performance when subjected to heattreatment, for example, a high-temperature dyeing treatment which willbe explained hereinafter. The crimp structure preferably has thepolyamide resin component located in inner side of the crimped filamentand the polyester resin component located in outer side of the crimpedfilament. The conjugate filament having the above-mentioned crimpstructure can be easily produced by the production process as describedbelow. If the crimped filaments A have the above-mentioned crimpstructure, wetting with water causes the polyamide component located inthe inner side to swell and elongate but causes virtually no change inlength of the polyester component located in the outer side, and thus,the percentage of crimp of the conjugate filament decreases. As aresult, the apparent lengths of the crimped filaments A increases. Whendried, however, the polyamide component located in the inner sideshrinks, while the polyester component on the outer side undergoesessentially no change in length and, thus, the percentage of crimp ofthe conjugate filament increases. Thus, the apparent length of thecrimped filaments A is therefore shortened.

The crimped filaments A are preferably in the form of untwisted yarn orfalse twisted yarn with no more than 300 T/m twists, in order tofacilitate decrease in the percentage of crimp upon wetting with water.Untwisted filament yarn are especially preferred. In case of ahard-twisted filament yarn having a hard twist, the percentage of crimpis sometimes hard to decrease upon wetting with water. Also, the crimpedfilament yarn may be one subjected to an air interlacing treatmentand/or usual false twisting treatment at an interlace number of theindividual filaments in the yarn of about 20 to 60 interlaces/m.

There are no particular restrictions to the type of filaments B whichare non-crimped filaments or which have crimps that undergo essentiallyno change in percentage of crimp upon wetting with water. Here, thephrase “undergo essentially no change in percentage of crimp uponwetting with water” means that a difference (DC-HC) between thepercentage of crimp DC(%) in dry and the percentage of crimp HC(%) inwet with water (DC-HC) is less than 0.5(%). The difference in percentageof crimp (DC-HC) is more preferably 0 to 0.4% and still more preferably0 to 0.3%.

The filaments B may be selected from synthetic polymer filaments, forexample, filaments of polyesters, for example, polyethyleneterephthalate, polytrimethylene terephthalate and polybutyleneterephthalate, polyamides, for example, nylon-6 and nylon-66,polyolefins, for example, polyethylene and polypropylene, acryliccompounds, para- or meta-aramids and modified synthetic resins thereof,natural filaments regenerated filaments semi-synthetic filaments,polyurethane-based elastic filaments and polyether ester-based elasticfilament, as long as they are appropriate for clothes. Among them,polyester filaments, for example, filaments of polyethyleneterephthalate, polypropylene terephthalate and polybutyleneterephthalate, as well as polyester filaments composed of modifiedpolyesters produced by copolymerization with copolymerizing components,as mentioned above, because the above-mentioned filaments exhibit a highdimensional stability even when wetted with water and satisfactory infilament-combining properties, mixed knitting or mixed weavingproperties and dyeing properties compatibility with the crimpedfilaments A. There are also no special restrictions on the thickness ofindividual filaments for the filaments B or on the number of individualfilaments per yarn or bundle when they are used in a yarn or a filamentbundle. In order to increase the hygroscopicity of the resultant wovenor knitted fabric and to accelerate the manifestation of roughness uponwetting with water, the thickness of the individual filament for thefilaments B is preferably 0.1 to 5 dtex and more preferably 0.5 to 2dtex, and the number of individual filaments for a filament B yarn orfilament B bundle is preferably in the range of 20 to 200 filaments andmore preferably 30-100 filaments per yarn or bundle. The filamentB-containing yarn or filament bundle can be subjected to an airinterlacing treatment and/or conventional false twisting treatment,which may cause interlacing of the constituent individual filaments atabout 20-60 interlaces/m.

A woven or knitted fabric of the invention comprises the aforementionedcrimped filaments A whose percentage of crimp decreases upon wettingwith water, and filaments B comprising non-crimped filaments and/orcrimped filaments which undergo essentially no change in percentage ofcrimp upon wetting with water.

There are no particular restrictions on the weave or knit structures ornumber of plies as of the woven or knitted fabric. Suitable weave orknit structures include weave structures a plane weave, twill weave orsatin weave, and a knit structures such as a plain knit smooth knit,circular rib knit, seed knit, plating stitch, Denbigh stitch, half knit,etc, but there is no limitation to these. The fabric may be a single-plyfabric or a multi-ply fabric having two or more plies.

The reason of manifesting the roughness in the woven or knitted fabricwhen wetted with water is that the woven or knitted fabric is composedof portions which undergoes a dimensional change (expansion) when wettedwith water and portions which undergoes little or no dimensional changeeven when wetted with water whereby, when wetted with water, the formerportions changes in dimensions, and the latter portions exhibit littleor no change in dimensions. Therefore, when wetted with water, theformer portions form convexities and thereby manifest a roughness in thefabric. Consequently, for effective manifestation of roughness uponwetting with water, it is important to appropriately arrange the crimpedfilaments A and the filaments B.

A preferred mode for arrangement of the crimped filaments A andfilaments B in a woven or knitted fabric of the present invention willbe explained below.

First, according to mode (1), the woven or knitted fabric comprises oneor more portions (Y portions) composed entirely of the crimped filamentsA and one or more portions (Z portions) composed entirely of thefilaments B, wherein the Z portions are formed continuous in either orboth the warp and weft directions or in either or both the wale andcourse directions.

In this structure, as the Y portions have, when wetted with water, agreater degree of dimensional change than that of the Z portions, andthe Z portions in the woven or knitted fabric are formed continuous ineither or both the warp and weft directions or in either or both thewale and course directions, so that dimensional change of the woven orknitted fabric as a whole is inhibited, and the Y portions formconvexities to manifest roughness.

In FIG. 6(A), the woven or knitted fabric 7 comprises Y portions 8having a large dimensional change upon wetting with water and Z portion9 having little or no dimensional change upon wetting with water, and inthe dry state, the Y portions 8 and Z portions 9 form a flat surface butupon wetting with water, each Y portions 8 extends outward from one sidesurface of the woven or knitted fabric 7 to form convexities, as shownin FIG. 6(B), thus producing roughness on the surface of the woven orknitted fabric 7.

The pattern in which the Z portions are continuous in either or both thewarp and weft directions or in either or both the wale and coursedirections is not particularly restricted, and examples include a borderpattern, stripe pattern or lattice pattern, a diamond pattern as shownschematically in FIG. 7, or a checkered pattern.

There is no particular restriction on the area ratio of the Z portionsto Y portions, but for increased dimensional stability of the woven orknitted fabric, the ratio Z portion area:Y portion area is preferably10:90 to 90:10 and more preferably 20:80 to 80:20.

In the woven or knitted fabric 7 as shown in FIG. 7, the Y portions 8are separated from each other by Z portions 9. While there is noparticular restriction on the area of each Y portion 8, it is preferablyin the range of 0.01 to 4.0 cm² and more preferably 0.1 to 1.0 cm². Thisis preferred from the viewpoint of preventing sticking between clothingand skin during periods of perspiration. The width of the Z portions 9is preferably in the range of 0.5-100 mm.

According to mode (2) of the woven or knitted fabric of the presentinvention, the fabric comprises one or more portions (Z portions)composed entirely of the filaments B and one or more portions (Xportions) composed of the filaments A and the filaments B, wherein the Zportions are formed continuous in either or both the warp and weftdirections or in either or both the wale and course directions.

In this structure, as the X portions have a greater degree ofdimensional change when wetted with water than that of the Z portions,and the Z portions of the woven or knitted fabric are formedcontinuously in either or both the warp and weft directions or in eitheror both the wale and course directions, the dimensional change of thewoven or knitted fabric as a whole is inhibited, and the X portions formconvexities to manifest roughness. The pattern in which the Z portionsare formed continuously and the area ratio of both portions may besimilar to that of mode (1).

According to mode (3) of the woven or knitted fabric of the presentinvention, the fabric comprises one or more portions (X portions)composed of the filaments A and the filaments B and one or more portions(Y portions) composed entirely of the crimped filaments A, wherein the Xportions of the woven or knitted fabric are formed continuous in eitheror both the warp and weft directions or in either or both the wale andcourse directions.

In this structure, as the Y portions have a greater degree ofdimensional change when wetted with water than that of the X portions,and the X portions of the woven or knitted fabric is formed continuousin either or both the warp and weft directions or in either or both thewale and course directions, the dimensional change of the woven orknitted fabric as a whole is inhibited, and the Y portions formconvexities to manifest roughness. The pattern in which the X portionsare formed continuous and the area ratio of both portions may be similarto mode (1).

According to mode (4) of the woven or knitted fabric of the invention,the fabric comprises one or more portions (X portions) composed of thefilaments A and the filaments B, one or more portions (Y portions)composed entirely of the crimped filaments A and one or more portions (Zportions) composed entirely of the filaments B, wherein the Z portionsof the woven or knitted fabric are formed continuous in either or boththe warp and weft directions or in either or both the wale and coursedirections.

In the above-mentioned mode (4) of the structure, as the Z portionshave, when wetted with water, the least degree of dimensional changecompared to the other portions (X portions and Y portions), and the Zportions of the woven or knitted fabric are formed continuous in eitheror both the warp and weft directions, the dimensional change of thewoven or knitted fabric as a whole is inhibited, and the other portions(X portion and Y portion) form convexities to manifest roughness. Thepattern in which the Z portions are continuous and the area ratio of Zportions to the total of the other portions may be similar to mode (1).

According to mode (5) of the woven or knitted fabric of the invention,the fabric has a multi-ply woven or knitted structure having two or moreplies wherein at one or more plies (X plies) of the multi-ply structureis composed of the crimped filaments A and the filaments B while one ormore of the other plies (Z plies) is composed entirely of the filamentsB, and the former plies and latter plies are partially bound together.

In this structure, the X plies have a greater degree of dimensionalchange when wetted with water than that of the Z plies, and the portionsof the X plies which are not bound with the Z plies form convexities tomanifest roughness.

In FIG. 4(A), the woven or knitted fabric 4 is a multi-ply fabriccomprising an X ply 6 and a Z ply 5, and a bonding ply 5a through whichthe plies 5 and 6 are partially bound together. When the multi-ply wovenor knitted fabric is wetted with water, as shown in FIG. 4(B), the X ply6 extends between the bound sections to form convexities 6 a, but theportions 6 b where the X ply 6 is bound through the binding ply 5 acannot extend. As a result, roughness is formed on one side of the wovenor knitted fabric.

When, as shown in FIG. 5, the lattice section 6 b in the X ply 6 of thewoven or knitted fabric is bound with the Z ply (not shown in FIG. 5)through the binding ply (also not shown), the section 6 a which is notbound extends outward upon wetting with water, to cause a plurality ofrectangular convexities to be separately distributed from each other,thereby creating roughness on one side of the multi-ply woven or knittedfabric. Alternatively, the sections which are not bound may be formed ina lattice form and the bound sections may form a plurality of regionsspaced from each other.

According to mode (6) of the woven or knitted fabric of the presentinvention, the fabric has a multi-ply woven or knitted structure withtwo or more plies wherein one or more plies (X plies) of the multi-plystructure are composed of the crimped filaments A and the filaments Bwhile one or more other plies (Y plies) are composed entirely of thecrimped filaments A, and the X plies and Y plies are partially boundtogether.

In this structure, the Y plies have a greater degree of dimensionalchange when wetted with water, than that of the X ply, and the portionsof the Y plies which are not bound with the X plies form convexities tomanifest roughness.

According to mode (7) of the woven or knitted fabric of the invention,the fabric has a multi-ply woven or knitted structure with two or moreplies wherein one or more plies (Y plies) are composed entirely of thecrimped filaments A while one or more other plies (Z plies) are composedentirely of the filaments B, and the Y plies and Z plies are partiallybound together.

In this structure, the Y plies have a greater degree of dimensionalchange when wetted with water than that the Z plies, and the portions ofthe Y plies which are not bound with the Z plies form convexities tomanifest roughness.

The woven or knitted fabric of the invention may be easily produced bythe production process described below.

The process of the present invention for producing a crimpedfilament-containing woven or knitted fabric which manifests roughnessupon wetting with water, is characterized by comprising a step ofproducing a precursor woven or knitted fabric from precursor filamentsfrom which crimped filaments A which reveals crimps when a heattreatment is applied thereto, and the resultant crimps having a propertysuch that the percentage of crimp decreases when wetted with water, andprecursory filaments from which at least one type of filaments Bselected from filaments which do not reveal crimps even when a heattreatment is applied thereto, and filaments which reveal crimps when aheat treatment is applied thereto but the percentage of crimp of thecrimps essentially not decreasing when wetted with water, and a step ofapplying a heat treatment to the precursory woven or knitted fabric toproduce a woven or knitted fabric comprising the crimped filaments A andthe filaments B.

In the process of the present invention, preferably the filaments, fromwhich the crimped filaments A are formed, are selected from non-crimpedconjugate filaments comprising a polyester resin component and apolyamide resin component, which are different in water-absorption andself-elongation from each other and are bonded in a side-by-sidestructure, and preferably the polyester resin component of thenon-crimped filaments includes a polyester resin with an intrinsicviscosity of 0.30 to 0.43, and the polyamide resin component includes apolyamide resin with an intrinsic viscosity of 1.0-1.4.

In an embodiment of the process of the present invention, a polyesterhaving an intrinsic viscosity of. 0.30 to 0.43 (measured at 35° C. inortho-chlorophenol as the solvent) and a polyamide having an intrinsicviscosity of 1.0-1.4 (measured at 30° C. in m-cresol as the solvent) aremelt-spun into a side-by-side type composite filament structure. In thiscase, a polyester component having an intrinsic viscosity of 0.43 orless is particularly preferred. If the polyester component has anintrinsic viscosity of greater than 0.43, the polyester exhibits anincreased viscosity and thus the properties of the composite filamentwill approach those of the polyester alone and it may not be possible toobtain a woven or knitted fabric which achieves the object of theinvention. Conversely, if the polyester component has an intrinsicviscosity of less than 0.30, the resultant polyester component melt mayexhibit too low a viscosity, and the filament-forming property of themelt decreases and generation of fluffs is promoted, and the quality andproductivity of the conjugate filaments are reduced.

The spinneret used for the melt spinning may be one as shown in FIG. 1of Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2000-144518, wherein theextrusion openings for the high viscosity component and low viscositycomponent are separated from each other, and the linear extrusion rateof the high viscosity component is low (the cross-sectional area of theextrusions openings is designed small). Preferably, the molten polyesterresin component is passed through the extrusion openings for the highviscosity component, while the molten polyamide resin component ispassed through the extrusion openings for the low viscosity component,and the two components are joined together while cooling them tosolidification. For this step, as mentioned above, the mass ratio of thepolyester component to the polyamide component is preferably 30:70 to70:30, and more preferably 40:60 to 60:40.

After the melt composite melt spinning, there may be employed a separatedrawing system wherein drawing is carried out after winding up themelt-spun filaments, or a direct drawing system wherein a draw-heattreatment is carried out without winding up the melt-spun filaments. Thespinning and drawing steps may be performed under conventionalconditions. For example, in a direct drawing system, the spinning stepis carried out at a spinning speed of about 1000 to 3500 m/min, andfollowed by immediate drawing step at a temperature of 100 to 150° C.and then winding up step. The draw ratio is appropriately set so thatthe finally obtained conjugate filaments have a elongation at break ofpreferably 10 to 60% (more preferably 20 to 45%), and a tensile strengthof preferably about 3.0 to 4.7 cN/dtex.

For the process of the present invention, the non-crimped conjugatefilaments preferably have, after crimping treatment in boiling water,

(1) a dry percentage of crimp DC in the range of 1.5-13% after standingfor 24 hours in an environment at a temperature of 20° C., at a humidityof 65% RH,

(2) a water-wet percentage of crimp HC in the range of 0.5-7.0%immediately after immersion in water at a temperature of 20° C. for 2hours, and

(3) a difference between the dry percentage of crimp DC and wetpercentage of crimp HC (DC-HC) of 0.5% or more.

The dry percentage of crimp DC is more preferably 2 to 6%, the wetpercentage of crimp HC is more preferably 1 to 3%, and the differencebetween the dry percentage of crimp DC and wet percentage of crimp HC(DC-HC) is more preferably 1 to 5%.

The dry percentage of crimp DC and wet percentage of crimp HC aremeasured by the following measurement methods.

A wind-up frame with a circumference of 1.125 m is used for rewinding afilament yarn under a load of 49/50 mN×9×total tex (0.1 gf×total denier)at a fixed speed for 10 winds to produce a small hank, the small hank istwisted to form into a double ring and immersed in boiling water whileapplying an initial load of 49/2500 mN×20×9×total dtex (2 mg×20×totaldenier) for 30 minutes, then dried in a drier at 100° C. for 30 minutesand then placed in dryer at 160° C. for 5 minutes while maintaining theinitial load to heat-treat the hank. The initial load is removed fromthe hank after the dry heat treatment was completed, and then the hankis left to stand in an environment at a temperature of 20° C. at ahumidity of 65% RH for at least 24 hours, then the initial load and anadditional load of 98/50 mN×20×9×total tex (0.2 gf×20×total denier) areapplied to the hank, then the length L0 of the hank is measured, theadditional load alone is immediately removed, and one minute afterremoving the load the length L1 of the hank is measured. The hank isthen immersed in water at a temperature of 20° C. for 2 hours whileapplying the initial load thereto, and after taking up from water, thehank is sandwiched between a pair of filter sheets (30 cm×30 cm size), apressure of 0.69 mN/cm² (70 mgf/cm²) was applied to the filter sheetsfor 5 seconds to lightly wipe off of water, then the initial load andthe additional load are applied to the hank, the length L0′ of the hankis measured, the additional load alone is immediately removed from thehank, and one minute after removing the load the length L1′ of the hankis measured. These measured values are inserted into the followingequations calculate the dry percentage of crimp DC(%), wet percentage ofcrimp HC(%) and the difference (DC-HC) percentage of crimps between dryand wet. The average value for 5 measurements was calculated.Dry percentage of crimp DC(%)=((L0−L1)/L0)×100Wet percentage of crimp HC(%)=((L0′−L1′)/L0′)×100

In the crimped conjugate filaments A used for the present invention, ifthe dry percentage of crimp DC is smaller than 1.5%, the change inpercentage of crimp upon wetting with water is small, and thus aroughness may not be manifested. Conversely, if the dry percentage ofcrimp DC is more than 13%, crimping may be too strong, therebyinhibiting change of the crimps upon wetting with water, and alsopotentially preventing manifestation of roughness. If the difference(DC-HC) between the dry percentage of crimp DC and wet percentage ofcrimp HC is less than 0.5%, roughness may not be manifested even whenwetted with water.

After producing a woven or knitted fabric simultaneously from theconjugate filaments as mentioned above and the filaments B which areeither non-crimped or have crimps which undergo substantially no changein percentage of crimp even upon wetting with water, the fabric may besubjected to a dyeing treatment, whereby the heat of dyeing expresseslatent crimping of the conjugate filaments (to produce the crimpedfilaments).

There are no special restrictions on the weaving or knittin structure ofthe woven or knitted fabric, and any of the aforementioned types may beselected as appropriate.

The temperature for the dyeing treatment is preferably 100 to 140° C.and more preferably 110 to 135° C., and the dyeing time is preferably inthe range of 5 to 40 minutes as the highest temperature duration time.Dyeing of the woven or knitted fabric under these conditions will allowthe conjugate filaments to express crimping due to the difference inheat shrinkage between the polyester component and the polyamidecomponent. The polyester component and polyamide component may beselected from the aforementioned polymers to form the crimped structurein which the polyamide component is located in the inner sides of thecrimps.

The woven or knitted fabric which has been dyed is usually subjected tofinal dry heat setting. The temperature of the final dry setting ispreferably 120 to 200° C. and more preferably 140 to 180° C., and thefinal setting time is preferably in the range of 1 to 3 minutes. If thetemperature for the final dry heat setting is below 120° C., wrinklescreated in the fabric during the dyeing will tend to remain, and thedimensional stability of the finished product may be impaired.Conversely, if the temperature for the final dry heat setting is higherthan 200° C., crimping of the conjugate filaments created during dyeingwill be decreased and the filaments may stiffen and produce too stiff ahand of the fabric.

In the woven or knitted fabric produced by the process of the presentinvention, wetting of the woven or knitted fabric by perspiration orrain causes a decrease in degree of crimping of the crimped filaments Athemselves, and an increase in their apparent lengths. On the otherhand, the filaments B do not elongate even when wetted with water, andtherefore the dimensions of the woven or knitted fabric as a whole arefixed. The result is that wetting with water causes the portions of thefabric containing the crimped filaments A to form convexities, therebymanifesting roughness. This manifestation of roughness can also reducesticking of the fabric to the skin when wetted with water. As a goal forreducing stickiness, the sticking force is preferably no greater than980 mN (100 grf). To determine the sticking force, a piece of a fabrichaving a length of 15 cm and a width of 6 cm is placed on a metal rollerhaving a diameter of 8 cm, and one end of the piece is attached to astress-strain gauge while a clip having a weight of 98 mN (10 grf) isattached at the other end of the fabric piece, as shown in FIG. 1 ofJapanese Unexamined Patent Publication HEI No. 9-195172. Next, the metalroller is rotated at a peripheral speed of 7 cm/sec while injecting 0.5cm³ of water by using a syringe into between the metal roller and thefabric piece, and the tension applied to the fabric piece is measured byusing the stress-strain gauge, while recording the measured maximumtention value as the sticking force.

Conventional methods may be employed to subject the woven or knittedfabric of the invention to water absorption treatment, water repellenttreatment, rising treatment, and another various treatments forultraviolet ray blocking, and imparting the functions of antibacterialagents, deodorants, insecticides, luminous agents, retroreflectiveagents, minus ion-generating agents, etc, to the fabric.

A crimped filament-containing woven or knitted fabric according to thepresent invention may be used for production of various types of textileproducts.

Textile products according to the present invention include outerwearsportswear, and underwear materials.

EXAMPLES

The present invention will be explained in detail through the followingexamples which are in no way limitative on the scope of the invention.

The following measurements were conducted for the examples andcomparative examples.

1. Intrinsic Viscosity of Polyester

This was measured in ortho-chlorophenol as the solvent at 35° C.

2. Intrinsic Viscosity of Polyamide

This was measured in m-cresol as the solvent, at 30° C.

3. Tensile Strength and Elongation at Break

A sample of filaments was allowed to stand in a constant temperatureconstant humidity room kept at a temperature of atmosphere 25° C., at ahumidity of 60% RH, for 24 hours and then the sample having a length of100 mm was set in a tester (trademark: Tensilon, made by ShimadzuLaboratories Co., Ltd.), and elongated at a rate of 200 mm/min, uponwhich the strength at breakage (cN/dtex) and the elongation (%) at breakwere measured. The average value of the data (n=5) was calculated.

4. Shrinkage in Boiling Water

The shrinkage (%) in boiling water was measured by the method specifiedaccording to JIS L 1013-1998, 7.15. The average value of the data (n=3)was calculated.

5. Percentage of Crimp of Conjugate Filaments

A wind-up frame having a circumference of 1.125 m was used for rewindingfilaments under a load of 49/50 mN×9×total tex (0.1 gf×total denier) ata fixed speed for 10 winds to produce a small hank, and the small hankwas twisted into a double ring and immersed in boiling water whileapplying an initial load of 49/2500 mN×20×9×total tex (2 mg×20×totaldenier) to the hank for 30 minutes, the hank was dried in a drier at100° C. for 30 minutes and then placed in dry heater at 160° C. for 5minutes while maintaining the initial load on the hank. The initial loadwas removed after the dry heat treatment was completed, and the hank wasleft to stand in an environment at a temperature of 20° C. at a humidityof 65% RH, for 24 hours or more the initial load and an additional loadof 98/50 mN×20×9×total tex (0.2 gf×20×total denier) were applied to thehank, the length L0 of the hank was measured, the additional load alonewas immediately removed, and one minute after removing the load thelength L1 of the hank was measured. The hank was then immersed in waterat a temperature of 20° C. for 2 hours while maintaining the initialload, removed from water and lightly wiped off water with a filterpaper, then the initial load and the additional load were applied to thehank, the length L0′ of the hank was measured, the additional load alonewas immediately removed and, one minute after removing the load, thelength L1′ of the hank was measured. These measured data were insertedinto the following equations to calculate the dry percentage of crimp(DC), wet percentage of crimp (HC) and the difference (DC-HC) betweenthe dry and wet percentages of crimp. The average value of the data(n=5) was calculated.Dry percentage of crimp DC(%)=((L0−L1)/L0)×100Wet percentage of crimp HC(%)=((L0′−L1′)/L0′)×100

6. Sticking Force

A test piece of a woven or knitted fabric having with a length of 15 cmand a width of 6 cm was placed on a surface-polished metal roller havinga diameter of 8 cm, and one end of the test piece was attached to astress-strain gauge while a clip having a weight of 98 mN (10 grf) wasattached at the other end of the test piece, as shown in FIG. 1 ofJapanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 9-195172. Next, the metalroller was rotated at a peripheral speed of 7 cm/sec while gentlyinjecting 0.5 ml of water with a syringe into between the metal rollerand the test piece, and the tension created on the test piece wasmeasured with the stress-strain gauge, and the measured maximum value ofthe tention was recoaded as the sticking force. The average value of 5measurement data (n) was determined. A high average value represents anincreased sticking force.

7. Roughness Change

A woven or knitted fabric was left to stand in an environment at atemperature of 20° C., at a humidity of 65% RH (n=5) for 24 hours, andthen cut into 5 pieces (n=5) each having 30 cm×30 cm dimensions. The drythickness (TD) of the test pieces of the woven or knitted fabric wasmeasured in an environment of a temperature of 20° C., and a humidity of65% RH by using an ultrahigh-precision laser displacement gauge (ModelLC-2400, product of Keyence). Next, one ml of water was dropped onto thetest pieces with a dropper and one minute after dropping water thewater-wetted maximum thickness (TW) at the water-dropped portion of thetest pieces was measured using a ultrahigh-precision laser displacementgauge (Model LC-2400, product of Keyence). The roughness change wascalculated in accordance with the following equation. The average offive measurement data (n=5) was determined.Roughness change (%)=((TW−TD)/TD)×100

Example 1

Nylon-6 with an intrinsic viscosity [η] of 1.3 and modified polyethyleneterephthalate copolymerized with 2.6 molar percent of5-sodiumsulfoisophthalic acid, having an intrinsic viscosity [η] of0.39, were melted at 270° C. and 290° C., respectively. The same type ofside-by-side conjugate filament spinneret as that shown in FIG. 1 ofJapanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2000-144518 was used forextrusion of the resins each at an extrusion rate of 12.7 g/min, to forma side-by-side conjugate filaments having a cross-sectional profile ofthe individual filaments as shown in FIG. 1, and the extruded conjugatefilaments were cooled to solidify and an oiling agent was applied to thefilaments. The filaments were preheated with a preheating roller at aspeed of 1,000 m/min at a temperature of 60° C., and then draw-heattreated between the preheating roller and a heating roller heated to atemperature of 150° C., at a speed of 3050 m/min, then finally wound upto obtain an 84 dtex/24 filaments conjugate filament bundle. The tensilestrength of the obtained conjugate filaments was 3.4 cN/dtex, and theelongation at break of the filaments was 40%. The conjugate filamentsbundle was treated in boiling water to express the crimping, then thepercentage of crimp was measured. The dry percentage of crimp DC was3.3%, the wet percentage of crimp HC was 1.6% and the difference (DC-HC)between the dry percentage of crimp DC and wet percentage of crimp HCwas 1.7%.

The non-crimped composite filament bundle (without boiling watertreatment and without crimping or twisting) and a conventional 84dtex/72 filaments polyethylene terephthalate multifilament yarn(filament B) having a shrinkage in boiling water of 8% were fed to a 28gauge double circular knitting machine, for knitting of a circularknitted fabric with the knitting structure shown in Table 1. TABLE 1Knitting structure Feeding side Feeding order C D C D C D C D C D C D CD C D C D C D C D C D C D 24 x x x x x x x x x x x x x b 23 ∘ ¥ ∘ ∘ ¥ ∘∘ ¥ ∘ ∘ ¥ ∘ ∘ ¥ ∘ ∘ ¥ ∘ ∘ a 22 x x x x x x x x x x x x x b 21 ¥ ∘ ∘ ¥ ∘∘ ¥ ∘ ∘ ¥ ∘ ∘ ¥ ∘ ∘ ¥ ∘ ∘ ¥ ∘ a 20 x x x x x x x x x x x x x b 19 ∘ ¥ ∘∘ ¥ ∘ ∘ ¥ ∘ ∘ ¥ ∘ ∘ ¥ ∘ ∘ ¥ ∘ ∘ a 18 x x x x x x x x x x x x x b 17 ¥ ∘∘ ¥ ∘ ∘ ¥ ∘ ∘ ¥ ∘ ∘ ¥ ∘ ∘ ¥ ∘ ∘ ¥ ∘ a 16 x x x x x x x x x x x x x b 15∘ ¥ ∘ ∘ ¥ ∘ ∘ ∘ ∘ ∘ ∘ ∘ ∘ ∘ ∘ a 14 x x x x x x x x x x x x x b 13 ¥ ∘ ∘¥ ∘ ∘ ∘ ∘ ∘ ∘ ∘ ∘ ∘ ∘ ∘ a 12 x x x x x x x x x x x x x b 11 ∘ ¥ ∘ ∘ ¥ ∘∘ ∘ ∘ ∘ ∘ ∘ ∘ ∘ ∘ a 10 x x x x x x x x x x x x x b 9 ¥ ∘ ∘ ¥ ∘ ∘ ∘ ∘ ∘ ∘∘ ∘ ∘ ∘ ∘ a 8 x x x x x x x x x x x x x b 7 ∘ ¥ ∘ ∘ ¥ ∘ ∘ ∘ ∘ ∘ ∘ ∘ ∘ ∘∘ a 6 x x x x x x x x x x x x x b 5 ¥ ∘ ∘ ¥ ∘ ∘ ∘ ∘ ∘ ∘ ∘ ∘ ∘ ∘ ∘ a 4 xx x x x x x x x x x x x b 3 ∘ ¥ ∘ ∘ ¥ ∘ ∘ ∘ ∘ ∘ ∘ ∘ ∘ ∘ ∘ a 2 x x x x xx x x x x x x x b 1 ¥ ∘ ∘ ¥ ∘ ∘ ∘ ∘ ∘ ∘ ∘ ∘ ∘ ∘ ∘ a[Notes:]C: Cylinder sideD: Dial side∘: Dial side knitx: Cylinder side knit¥: Cylinder side tacka: Non-crimped conjugate filament yarnb: Polyester multifilament yarn

The circular knitted fabric was dyed under conditions of a temperatureof 130° C. and a top temperature keeping time of 15 minutes, forexpression of the latent crimping property of the non-crimped conjugatefilament yarn, to produce the crimped filaments A. In the dyeing step, ahygroscopic agent (polyethylene terephthalate-polyethylene glycolcopolymer) was contained in an amount of 2 ml/liter with respect to thedyeing solution for treatment in the same bath as the dyeing bath, toapply a hygroscopic treatment to the knitted fabric. The circular knitfabric was subjected to final dry heat setting at a temperature of 160°C. for 1 minute.

The cross-section of the circular knit fabric in the thickness directionis shown in FIG. 4. In FIG. 4, a ply (Z ply) was composed entirely ofthe filaments B, while the other ply (Y ply) was composed entirely ofthe crimped filaments A, and the Z ply and Y ply were partially tackedby the polyester filament B yarn.

In the view of the Y ply side surface of the knitted fabric as shown inFIG. 5, the Y ply was tacked in a lattice formed portion to the Z plyand when wetted with water, the non-tacked rectangular portions b of theY ply form convexities to thereby manifest roughness.

In this knitted fabric, the roughness change between wet and dry stateswas 15% and the sticking force was 784 mN (80 gf), and the low degree ofstickiness when wetted with water was satisfactory from a practicalstandpoint.

Example 2

Using a 28 gauge tricot knitting machine, the same conjugated filament(filament A) as used in Example 1 was full-set on a back reeds, whilethe same polyethylene terephthalate multifilament yarn (filament B) asused in Example 1 was set on the middle reeds at 2 in-10 out, and thesame polyethylene terephthalate multifilament yarn (filament B) as usedin Example 1 was also set on the front reeds at 10 out-2 in, forknitting a tricot knit with a structure of back: 10-12, middle:10-12-23-34-45-43-32-21, front: 45-43-32-21-10-12-23-34, with knittingconditions on the machine of 60 courses/2.54 cm. The knitted fabric wasthen subjected to dye finishing in the same manner as in Example 1.

For this knitted fabric, the dry cross-section in the thicknessdirection comprised sections composed entirely of the crimped filamentsA (Y sections) and sections composed of the crimped filaments A andfilaments B (X sections), as shown in FIG. 6(A).

As can be seen in FIG. 7, the fabric surface had X sections 9 in acontinuous lattice diamond pattern extending over the fabric and, whenwetted with water, the rectangular sections (Y sections) 8 surrounded bythe lattice pattern formed convexities thus manifesting roughness.

In this knit fabric, the roughness change between wet and dry states was25% and the sticking force was 686 mN (70 gf), and therefore the lowdegree of stickiness when wetted with water was satisfactory from apractical standpoint.

Comparative Example 1

A dyed (and water absorbing agent treated) circular knit fabric wasproduced in the same manner as Example 1, except that, the sameconjugate filaments as used in Example 1 were employed instead of thepolyethylene terephthalate multifilament yarn (filaments B).

In this knit fabric, the roughness change between wet and dry states was2% and the sticking force was 1470 mN (150 gf), and therefore the highdegree of stickiness when wetted with water was unsatisfactory from apractical standpoint.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

According to the present invention, it is possible to produce woven andknitted fabrics which reversibly manifest roughness on their surfaceswhen wetted with water, while having reduced roughness when dry, as wellas textile products such as outerwear, sportswear underwear producedfrom the woven or knitted fabrics. Wearing such textile products canreduce sticking between skin and clothing during periods ofperspiration.

1. A crimped filament-containing woven or knitted fabric which manifestsroughness upon wetting with water, and comprises yarns comprisingcrimped filaments A the percentage of crimp of which decreases uponwetting with water, and yarns comprising filaments B comprising at leastone type of filaments selected from non-crimped filaments and crimpedfilaments which undergo substantially no change in percentage of crimpupon wetting with water, characterized in that the change in roughnesscalculated by the equation:change in Roughness (%)=((TW−TD)/TD)×100 wherein TD represents athickness of the woven or knitted fabric measured after standing it inan environment having a temperature of 20° C. and a humidity of 65% RHfor 24 hours and TW represents a largest thickness of the water-wettedportion of the woven or knitted fabric measured one minute after 1 ml ofwater has been dropped onto the woven or knitted fabric, is 5% orgreater.
 2. A crimped filament-containing woven or knitted fabric whichmanifests roughness upon wetting with water according to claim 1,wherein the crimped filaments A are selected from crimped conjugatefilaments comprising a polyester resin component and a polyamide resincomponent which components are different from one another in terms ofwater-absorption and self-elongation properties, and bonded to oneanother in a side-by-side structure, the conjugate filaments havingcrimps formed by revealing the latent crimpability of the conjugatefilaments.
 3. A crimped filament-containing woven or knitted fabricwhich manifests roughness upon wetting with water according to claim 2,wherein the polyester resin component comprises a modified polyethyleneterephthalate resin comprising 5-sodiumsolfoisophthalic acidcopolymerized in an amount of 2.0-4.5 molar percent based on the contentof the acid component of the resin.
 4. A crimped filament-containingwoven or knitted fabric which manifests roughness upon wetting withwater according to claim 1, wherein the yarn comprising the crimpedfilaments A is twisted at the number of twist of 0-300 T/m.
 5. A crimpedfilament-containing woven or knitted fabric which manifests roughnessupon wetting with water according to claim 1, wherein the filaments Bcomprise a polyester resin.
 6. A crimped filament-containing woven orknitted fabric which manifests roughness upon wetting with wateraccording to claim 1, comprising at least one portion Y composedentirely of the crimped filaments A at least one portion Z composedentirely of the filaments B, wherein the Z portion being formedcontinuously in either or both the warp and weft directions or in eitheror both the course and wale directions of the woven or knitted fabric.7. A crimped filament-containing woven or knitted fabric which manifestsroughness upon wetting with water according to claim 1, comprising atleast one portion Z composed entirely of the filaments B and at leastone portion X composed of the filaments A and the filaments B, the Zportion being formed continuously in either or both the warp and weftdirections or in either or both the course and wale directions of thewoven or knitted fabric.
 8. A crimped filament-containing woven orknitted fabric which manifests roughness upon wetting with wateraccording to claim 1, comprising at least one portion X composed of thecrimped filaments A and the filaments B and at least one portion Ycomposed entirely of the crimped filaments A, wherein the X portion isformed continuously in either or both the warp and weft directions or ineither or both the course and wale directions of the woven or knittedfabric.
 9. A crimped filament-containing woven or knitted fabric whichmanifests roughness upon wetting with water according to claim 1,comprising at least one portion X composed of the crimped filaments Aand the filaments B, at least one portion Y composed entirely of thecrimped filaments A and at least one portion Z composed entirely of thefilament B, wherein the Z portion is formed continuously in either orboth the warp and weft directions or in either or both the course andwale directions of the woven or knitted fabric.
 10. A crimpedfilament-containing woven or knitted fabric which manifests roughnessupon wetting with water according to claim 1, having a multi-ply weaveor knit structure with two or more plies, wherein at least one ply ofthe multi-ply structure is composed of the crimped filaments A and thefilaments B, while at least one other ply is composed entirely of thefilaments B, and the ply containing the filaments A and B and the otherply containing the filaments B are partially bound with each other. 11.A crimped filament-containing woven or knitted fabric which manifestsroughness upon wetting with water according to claim 1, having amulti-ply weave or knit structure with two or more plies, wherein atleast one ply of the multi-ply structure is composed of the crimpedfilaments A and filaments B, while at least one other ply is composedentirely of the crimped filaments A and B and the other ply containingthe crimped filaments A are partially bound with each other.
 12. Acrimped filament-containing woven or knitted fabric which manifestsroughness upon wetting with water according to claim 1, having amulti-ply weave or knit structure with two or more plies, wherein atleast one ply of the multi-ply structure is composed entirely of thecrimped filaments A, while at least one other ply is composed entirelyof the crimped filaments B, and the crimped filaments A-containing plyand the filaments B-containing ply are partially bound with each other.13. A process for production of a crimped filament-containing woven orknitted fabric which manifests roughness upon wetting with water,according to claim 1, characterized by comprising a step of producing aprecursor woven or knitted fabric from precursor filaments from whichcrimped filaments A which reveals crimps when a heat treatment isapplied thereto, and the resultant crimps having a property such thatthe percentage of crimp decreases when wetted with water, and precursoryfilaments from which at least one type of filaments B selected fromfilaments which do not reveal crimps even when a heat treatment isapplied thereto, and filaments which reveal crimps when a heat treatmentis applied thereto but the percentage of crimp of the crimps essentiallynot decreasing when wetted with water, and a step of applying a heattreatment to the precursory woven or knitted fabric to produce a wovenor knitted fabric comprising the crimped filaments A and the filamentsB.
 14. A process for the production of a crimped filament-containingwoven or knitted fabric according to claim 13, wherein the precursoryfilaments from which the crimped filaments A are formed from non-crimpedconjugate filaments comprising a polyester resin component and apolyamide resin component which components differ in water-absorptionand self-elongation from each other and are bonded in a side-by-sidestructure.
 15. A process for production of a crimped filament-containingwoven or knitted fabric according to claim 14, wherein the polyesterresin component in the non-crimped conjugate filaments comprises apolyester resin having an intrinsic viscosity of 0.30-0.43, and thepolyamide resin component comprise a polyamide resin having an intrinsicviscosity of 1.0-1.4.
 16. A process for production of a crimpedfilament-containing woven or knitted fabric according to claim 13,wherein the non-crimped conjugate filaments satisfy, after a crimpingtreatment in boiling water was applied thereto, the requirements: (1) adry percentage of crimp DC after standing in an environment having atemperature of 20° C. and a humidity of 65% RH for 24 hours, is in therange of 1.5 to 13%; (2) a percentage of crimp HC immediately after animmersion in water at a temperature of 20° C. for 2 hours, is in therange of 0.5 to 7.0%; and (3) a difference between the dry percentage ofcrimp DC and wet percentage of crimp HC (DC-HC) is 0.5% or greater. 17.A textile product which includes the crimped filament-containing wovenor knitted fabric according to claim
 1. 18. A textile product accordingto claims 17, selected from outerwear, sportswear and underwear clothes.